Episode 229 < Hatred. (2) >
[Please select a skill card.]
But I had no choice but to stop my arms.
The moment I stretched out my hand to snatch the card, fingers much smaller than mine entangled my fingers and grabbed them.
“You can’t do that, Mr. Confucius.”
“yes?”
“That’s not fun.”
Amethyst let out a breath.
“You’ve provoked a small person all this way, so you’re not going to show your uncool side at the end, are you?”
My back felt tingly for a moment.
Her fingers intertwined with mine were as if her breath had taken shape. A warm, cool, fog-like sensation gnawed at my hands.
“… … What do you mean?”
“Hehe.”
Conversely, Amethyst’s breathing resembled fingers. Every time she held my hand and came close to me and whispered, her finger-like breath gently nibbled at my ear.
“Mr. Confucius handed over the first card he got and told him to give the reward to the boy… … . look? “It’s clearly written right there on the card.”
Tuk. Tuk.
Amethyst touched the card in my hand with her thin fingernail. The golden card trembled as if infected with static electricity due to the vibration from the top owner’s fingernails.
+
[I want to be like you]
Rank: S+
Effect: Activates automatically when killed by an enemy. Copy one of the skills of the enemy that killed you and make it yours. You cannot copy a partner that has already been copied once. Which skills to copy is randomly determined.
※But, you die!
+
“look. Mr. Confucius.”
The breath that became a finger touched my eardrums.
“It’s clearly written, right? Here… … No, not there. here. The very last part. Clearly, it says [which skill to copy is determined randomly].”
Amethyst giggled.
She looked like a girl playing a naughty prank.
“Mr. Confucius. “He told me to submit my skills according to [the rules set by the tower].”
Perhaps, that is the highest purity that a person called Amethyst can show.
“Mr. Confucius, please follow the rules too?”
widely.
The sound of a hand snapping rang out.
As soon as that happened, the golden cards suddenly scattered. Like fireflies that are startled by the sound of firecrackers and blend into the flames.
“Random.”
Amethyst leaned into my arm and whispered.
“I don’t mind taking a piece of flesh from a small person, but please, in accordance with the fair laws of the tower, [randomly] decide which part of the flesh to choose.”
I raised my head and looked up, the night sky. Nine golden fireflies were constantly swirling around. As the constellation broke apart, each card became a meteor, and as it crossed the night sky, a long comet tail followed behind it.
“You’ve been enjoying all the good times so far, right? Meeting Mr. Geomje. They told me which skill to choose, all while watching from behind. Mr. Confucius just casually twitched his fingers as if he were selecting an ice cream.”
“…….”
“But all lucky games come to an end.”
I saw purple eyes.
Purple eyes also looked at me.
Perhaps no mirror is as clear as her eyes. At best, I could only see the membrane of the purple pupil, and beyond that there was an endless line of reflected inner eyes. The mirror reflected in the mirror, the mirror reflected in the mirror, and the mirror reflected in the mirror… … The purple mirror… … .
“Now just leave it to Mr. Confucius’s luck.”
Before I knew it, my gaze was fixed.
Once I looked properly into Amethyst’s eyes, it became impossible to turn my head anywhere else. It felt like I was caught in a cleverly set trap. My eyes were reflected in the purple eyes, and my eyes were reflected in the purple eyes, and then my eyes were reflected in the purple eyes… … .
‘ah.’
I tried to come to my senses.
‘Come to your senses.’
If I stayed like this, I would forget how to speak and would just become a stone statue staring into amethyst eyes for hours, dozens of hours, hundreds of hours.
I took a breath.
“All right.”
And he nodded slowly.
“Like you said, in that situation, I will choose what I want.”
“Ahaha.”
“But we set the rules.”
“What is it?”
“[I never look at the back of the card.] I won’t look at the back of the card myself unless you show me the back.”
“Yeah, whatever. “Of course, but it’s an amazing story.”
“step.”
I looked at the amethyst.
I strengthened my eyesight with aura and looked only at her.
“Just because I grab a card, please don’t immediately treat it as having chosen that card.”
“Hmm? “What does it mean?”
“I hope you will allow me time to look at the cards, touch them, and handle them here and there. ah. I will never see the back with my own eyes anyway. “If I turn the card over and see the explanation, I don’t mind just canceling the skill.”
“Hmm… … .”
Amethyst smiled coquettishly.
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“I’m curious. What are you trying to do? Okay, Mr. Confucius. Little people can wait for Mr. Confucius’s choice for as long as he wants. If you want, you can use [Ice Dragon’s Breath] to stop time in this world.”
“There is no need for such consideration.”
“all right. “Why don’t you give it a try!”
First, I collected all nine golden cards. The cards were bouncing around like golden balls in a sports game from a very famous fantasy novel, but hey, kids. To me, who has practiced Aura, you are nothing more than fireflies.
“Whoa.”
I took a deep breath.
My hand very carefully drew cards from the deck, one by one.
and.
“…….”
I looked at Amethyst sitting across from me.
We exchanged close looks, with only a stack of cards between us.
“……?”
no.
This card is not the skill I want.
I made a decision right away and put down the first card.
“what?”
Viscount Amethyst laughed.
“Are you trying to guess the card by looking at the person’s expression?”
There was a mixture of laughter and ridicule.
“What poker do you play, Mr. Confucius? Soin is not a person whose expression can be read by anyone. “All that can be gained from reading the face of a small person is praise for perfect beauty, astonishment at noble elegance, and infinite joy for existence itself.”
I looked at the amethyst.
“Viscount.”
“yes.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me to go somewhere and stop talking nonsense?”
“It’s mainly the vassals of small people. Isn’t it really too much? “There is no head of the household who treats, loves, and cares for his vassals as much as Soin.”
Even while Amethyst was talking nonsense, I carefully and calmly took out the cards one by one.
“…….”
Neither is this card. next.
Neither is this card. next.
Next, next, next… … .
“……?”
It was when 9 cards were reduced to 3 that Amethyst noticed a strange current.
“Mr. Confucius. you… … .”
Maybe I’m not just guessing the cards by reading Amethyst’s expression, but maybe I have a clear method of carefully distinguishing the cards. Such suspicions must have come to the head of the tower belatedly.
“What are you doing? “How do you find out the card?”
“well.”
I looked at the amethyst.
“I might be moving on to some kind of skill again.”
“Mr. Confucius does not have clairvoyance skills. Even if you have the clairvoyance skill, it is impossible to see through the skill card. It’s magic realized with a truly special material. By what means… … .”
When Amethyst narrowed her eyes, I discarded one more card.
Last two chapters.
I looked at the amethyst.
“…….”
“There are some interesting cards left.”
I was still only looking at the front of the card. The front of the card was colored golden. And there was an unknown pattern engraved on it, and this pattern was actually the subject of controversy among hunters. What on earth did you draw?
The pattern is like this. First of all, there is a polyhedron floating in the exact center that I don’t know if it’s a dice or something. And two snakes snake around the polyhedron. Lastly, leaves and flowers of unknown plant color brightly decorate the edges.
The hunters argued countless times.
“Why is this symbol engraved on the skill card?”
“The polyhedron represents the Holy Grail. The two snakes refer to Satan. In other words, the tower is telling us that demons are surrounding the Holy Grail!”
“Then what are these flies and flowers?”
“Does this mean that devils are interested in environmental movements?”
“When the bullshit comes in, the bullshit comes out. “It’s a good deal.”
However, no hunter gave a clear answer to this.
I may not know, but the general consensus was that there would be a hint if I went up to the 100th floor. Even 11 years later.
“flaw.”
Suddenly, I burst into laughter.
Viscount Amethyst tilted her head.
“What’s funny?”
“no. It reminds me of our TOP kids doing stupid things. Here’s the pattern. Pattern engraved on the card. “With this, hunters spread nonsense as if it were real.”
however.
“This is just the Viscount’s family flag.”
Amethyst blinked.
“yes. But what?”
“Puhahahaha.”
The situation is like this.
In the kingdom, [magic] or [wizard] is symbolized by a [snake]. This is because snakes are thought to have inherited dragon blood, and magic was also developed by dragons. Since it is a miracle originating from a dragon, it is natural to symbolize it as a [snake].
Therefore, either the family’s ancestor was a wizard, or the family’s ancestor was a wizard. If you fall into either case, your family’s emblem will definitely include a snake.
It is said that Viscount Amethyst’s distant ancestor killed a fairly famous wizard. In this way, the corpse of the magician was placed in the noble family’s emblem.
The place where the great wizard lived was a very vast forest called Crystal Forest. That’s why a few pieces of leaves and a few flowers were decorated around the snake. [This wizard was lost in the forest].
Viscount Amethyst’s ancestors swallowed up the territory originally ruled by the Archmage. So the family name was taken from the name of the forest and became Sujeong (水晶). The unknown polyhedron drawn in the center of the pattern is a crystal.
in other words.
[The ancestor of this family tore and killed a wizard who lived in the forest, and was given the title of Sujeong in recognition of his actions].
This is the meaning of the symbol engraved on the front of the card.
That’s it. end.
“Viscount, you are a real idiot. “Why are you putting your family flag on the front of the card?”
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly calling me a fool. Of course, the tower was made by a small person. Soin is a nobleman of the kingdom. “He signed his own work, so what are you complaining about?”
“Hundreds of thousands of priests in the outside world have done all sorts of things with this, saying it is God’s will, God’s foreshadowing, beating drums and janggu… … .”
“Since a dwarf is also a god, isn’t the will of a dwarf the will of God?”
Everyone I meet is not a fool.
anyway.
I looked at the amethyst.
“Well, not this card either. leaving out.”
“…….”
I discarded one of the last two cards.
Amethyst narrowed her eyebrows.
“Do you know what the card was just now?”
“yes. “It was an incredibly good skill.”
“Tell me.”
Amethyst asked me for proof.
I was willing to comply with her request.
“[Dice Beloved].”
“…….”
“The rank is just like SSS. The effect is also simple.”
There is only one sentence explaining this skill. No, just one word.
+
[The one loved by dice]
Rank: SSS
Heavenly luck.
+
Heavenly luck.
“In short, it is a skill [that improves luck]. Golden Dragon Eyes and all, this is actually the best morale skill. Are you getting lucky? Game over. No matter how difficult the quest is, or how difficult the stage is, you have to be lucky.”
So it was the card I left for the last two.
“I thought a lot about it.”
“… … how?”
“I really thought a lot about whether to use this card or that card. Probably Amethyst Manager… … Okay, that’s it. Hit me up. Even if you didn’t provoke me, I went all in with [Dice Lover].”
There is a proverb that has been passed down from the pagoda since ancient times.
A game with good skills, a game with a lot of luck.
This is because the level of a hunter is determined by what skills he or she has. In that respect, [Dice Beloved] is the strongest skill.
“But I won’t take this skill.”
I looked at the amethyst.
“I would choose something else.”
From beginning to end.
The whole time I was sorting through and choosing cards, I only had eyes for Amethyst.
“…….”
More precisely.
I looked into her purple eyes.
“… … aha.”
behindhand.
“Indeed, indeed.”
Amethyst realized my trick and laughed.
“Mr. Confucius.”
“yes.”
“You saw the eyes of a small person.”
Yes.
“you’re right.”
It was a simple method.
I looked at the amethyst.
“I just saw what was reflected in your purple eyes.”
Amethyst pursed her lips.
She was smiling happily.
He was silent with a smile on his face, and just looked at me without moving a muscle.
“Can you still see clearly?”
I nodded.
“yes.”
Your eyes are so transparent.
Even though purple is probably the poorest color to illuminate something.
Amethyst’s eyes were like endlessly reflecting mirrors.
“Can you read it to me?”
“Look a little closer.”
The distance between us was already close enough.
I picked up the last remaining card and looked into her eyes.
My auror-enhanced vision was trapped in her eyes—a maze of mirrors.
“try reading this please.”
Viscount Amethyst whispered.
“…….”
Gap between sight and hearing.
Taking a deep breath from the sense of misalignment, I read what would become my gold.
“Skull of a phalanx dinosaur.”
“yes.”
“Rank. SSS+.”
“that’s right. “A small person measured it.”
“effect. It preserves the memories of the living. Stored memories are placed in a [box]. This box can only be destroyed by someone who possesses the skill… … .”
“Keep talking.”
Viscount Amethyst’s voice got closer.
Maybe it’s just a simple illusion.
Due to my abnormally enhanced vision, all I can see now are the round purple letters on the mirror.
“As long as the box is not destroyed, you can produce the body of a character that inherits the same memories over and over again.”
“In short, as long as you put the original memory in a box, you can create a body to contain the memory as many times as you want, hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of times. However, it cannot be done simultaneously. Only one body in one memory. “Only when the body is destroyed can the next body be created.”
“…….”
“What are you doing? Mr. Confucius. “Please keep talking.”
“… … The body can move around the world, building new memories, and [updating] these experiences back in the box. “Of course, if you allow it.”
“Think of a game featuring famous Italian plumbers.”
Viscount Amethyst giggled.
The laughter became closer than before.
“Even if I die while playing the game, I come back, right? Even if I die, I won’t die. Life is [Coin]. The box of the phalanx dragon that contains the memories is, so to speak, a [save point]. If you die by losing his life, you’ll just be brought back to the save point. Of course, dead lives will not be saved… … . “Only when you come back alive can you save again at the save point.”
“…….”
“because of this.”
Viscount Amethyst said.
“A lot of people died.”
The story behind that skill.
“How many people wish there was a save point in their lives? There are probably as many people who want to return. Phalange dragon. Those who learned of her existence risked their lives by crossing the desert, swimming across the Great River, passing through jungles infested with monsters, and somehow meeting the phalangeal dragon.”
A story that cannot be expressed with just the word [skill].
“Many people died in the process.”
“…….”
“178 people succeeded in reaching the phalanx dragon’s nest.”
And 178 humans now have [Save Points].
They succeeded in converting their lives into [Coins] without having to worry about death or fearing eternal ending.
“The worst military group was created.”
The army, made up of 178 people, crisscrossed the world.
“They wore flags on their backs to show where they belonged during their lifetime. Therefore, it was called Mangibyeong (鳴旗兵).”
Soldiers waving flags that have already fallen.
“Banseokwisa, who was praised as the strongest archer 1,000 years ago. The 17th Rasenmunju, who commanded Rasenmun (!燥線門), the strongest assassination unit of the Sanwa tribe. Daedo (大盜) escaped leisurely after turning the entire royal capital into a sea of fire. 600 years ago, the Great River, who occupied half of the kingdom’s rivers and commanded dozens of warships. “1300 years ago, a promising man who was expected to become the best wizard in the kingdom.”
In the long history of the kingdom.
Each of them is a beggar who brought wrinkles to an era.
Just like my teacher who defeated the last era of martial arts.
“They formed [an army that never dies].”
A total of 178 such warriors gathered.
“Seeing the troops approaching from across the desert with dozens of flags waving, all the people fell down in fear, the children cried, and the soldiers lost their morale and fled.”
“…….”
“In that way, late-stage disease was no different from a human-made natural disaster.”
I opened my lips, my vision still trapped in the mirror-maze.
“What happened in the end? “Those people.”
Viscount Amethyst laughed.
“They became small men’s private soldiers.”
“It is immediately understandable why the nobles of the kingdom, who view small people as bastards, do not declare family war against small people. Because you’re going to get hit.”
and.
[Selection completed.]
The card in my hand melted brightly.
[Copy the skill.]
At the same time, the mirror maze was solved.
The purple mirror no longer has any cards to show.
The mirror became the pupil again, and what I was looking at became the pupil of the amethyst, and when I realized, I was facing the amethyst.
“Death King.”
Right in front of your nose.
“What you have is just as powerful. It caused countless deaths and left many scars. Mr. Confucius, what do you plan to do with that card?”
The distance that your breath can reach.
This was the best distance for a poisonous snake to bite off a person’s neck.
“I’m curious about Soin. very. “No matter how great it is, the skills of the dragon emperor and his army have already been defeated by the dwarfs and have been reduced to trophies.”
The nobleman, whose ancestor was the person who killed the snake, was smiling with his eyes.
“With that, how are you going to beat the dwarf?”
I smiled too.
“Get ready to squirt. Top owner.”
There is no doubt about it.
I drew the strongest card.
etc,
